Would have thought the Surtees would have been built higher quality/stronger than Scorpian, but size and water line length always makes a difference - so Scorpian may have advantage. Maybe check the actual hull measurements of both boats, they may be similar in terms of actual waterline length and if so would have thought Surtees best option - especially for resale.

Here's my twopence worth. I bought a 610 hardtop Scorpion 18 months ago-put a 115 4str Merc on the back and thought I was just the man. To cut a long story short I took it back to Morrinsville and got my old boat back 6 weeks later with the resulting loss. Reason: with the heavier motor on the back the boat was real arse end heavy and felt like it was on a launch pad with the nose up in the air regardless of trim. The bow seemed to slam into the chop rather than cut through and even if you buy an open top you will need trim tabs to keep the thing level or you will feel like you are falling over. It was just one of those boats that I didn't feel safe in. It may have been better with a lighter 2 str. The welding and finishing wasn't as good as the Surtees are but you do pay for what you get. As far as the Surtees goes I have a couple of friends with the 6.1 Barcrushers and they swear by them even from a wet point of view. I know which one I would buy if I was to change again

Hi Denny, as a matter of interest what is the boat you went back to from the Scorpion?I'm looking at options at the moment to upgrade the 3.5m tinny next year once I make a few more ££ (and the exchange rate improves for bringing cash back to NZ).Current front-runners include the Surtees 6.7 (weekender) and possibly Senator 750, hoping to get back to NZ in November for a few fishing trips/sea-trials to help with the decision.Have heard about the new Surtees 7.3 but not managed to see any pics of the beast yet.

Wayno-I had a Steadecraft 5.4 Seville prior to the Scorpion and the only reason I went and got that back was because it was all set up with the toys etc. It was only coming back for the meantime until I could sus out the right boat. The Steady was a block dray bone breaker and wet and I have now disposed of that and are the proud owner of a Stabi509wfr with a 90 4str Suk. At this stage I am wrapped with the, economy, dryness and ride is better than I have had on any of my previous boats but, however is a bit on the hard side.

Companies like Southern Boats, Surtees, Lazer Craft etc have shown the way to get a good ride out of alloy boats. This basically involves a deepish V and a very fine entry on the hull. Preferrably with a decent weight of alloy used. This design does compromise cabin space and stability a little, but for most the improvement in ride quality and ability to handle larger seas is worth it. The Scorpion range appear to me to have a fuller entry and possibly not as much V. A bit more like a Fyran than a Lazer Craft for instance. These differences would tend to make me think that the Scorpion boats are not going to ride as well as the 'better' designed competitors. Doesn't make them a bad boat, just means that the compromise on interior space vs ride etc is balanced less towards the hardcore user trying to go bar jumping or miles offshore.

Regarding the smaller Surtees and peoples comments about poor ride etc, we had a 5.7m Southern for a while and also noticed that for various reasons the basic deep V, fine entry design did not seem to work as well in the smaller boats. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as good overall as some of the larger models. The 6.7m version of the same boat however has a great ride and nice overall balance. I guess that the experiences mentioned with the smaller Surtees and the smaller Southern would tend to indicate that getting a good balance between ride and usability in the smaller alloy boats is a challenge. We were next to a local pontoon boat manufacturers boats at the recent boat show and I spent 4 days looking at the rear end of one of their ~5.0m boats thinking "this thing must ride like an absolute brick". The interesting thing though was that their ~6.5m model next to it had a much deeper V and much finer entry. It looked like it would ride reasonably well. I assume that they have found using the same 'ggod ride' design rules in the ~5.0m model would have made the space compromise etc so poor that the boat would be less desirable. Hence the space vs ride compromise is pushed much more towards prioritising space.

Personally I would go for a used Surtees, Southern, Lazer etc and go a little larger rather than buy a new Scorpion or similar design. On the other hand, if you don't go out wide and are a bit of a fair weather fisherman, the Scorpion or similar could be great value for you as long as you accept the ride limitations. I would however take note of Denny Boys comments above. A 6.1m boat that can't carry a 115hp engine well (even a 4 stroke) doesn't sound very encouraging.

All boats are a compromise ....$$$ vs ride and finish, performance and fittings, you can't really compare the two hulls as the water line lengths are nearly a mtr different and the beam will be larger on the 610 Scorpion. My neighbour has a 610 Scorpion cabin and the only thing in common with the Surtees 5.5 is they both are wet rides with a quartering wind. I would trust the Surtees product any day having owned a 6.1 Workmate custom, but even the 6.1 Surtees doesn't like a quartering wind and will tend to be wet if you don't shut the semi hardtop.

These hulls are a compromse, ie pointy bow to cut through the chop, flattening out to a moderate v at the stern for stabilty and lift. The 5.5 workmate also has a helm positioned well forward to maximise deck space. This combination means the boat tends to run flat as the lift is well back, this means more drag, lower speed and more fuel. So when you get 4 big fat scuba divers (they always are) all huddling right up in the bow, and only 5.5m, you have a boat that is going to punch through a small chop just fine but drop it' s nose into every hole that appears, especially in a following sea. It's just plain geometry. I think a 5.5 workmate with the helm further back would be a much better boat, loose a little deck space but the performance would improve. The centre console always works but isn't an option in the South Island, I think they're only marginal in the N.I.

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